Well Donald Trump and Tik Tok are back. One took four years to return, the other was gone for less than a day. Their exodus and returns gave millions of people goose-bumps, either for fear or joy. The two are infamous for making us crazy. Both of them can incite riots, spout insane-sounding ideas, and show us things that we never thought we’d ever witness in our lifetimes. They make us laugh, cry, confused, angry or utterly satisfied with our own sense of superiority over others. They remind me of the old show “Cops”. We watch the stuff they say, and do, and it makes us feel smarter than the average person. At least smarter than the thing we’re watching. The problem is that we’ve elected one to run the country, and we’ve chosen the other to be our number one distraction.
Humans, in general, liked to be entertained almost above anything else. Way back in Roman times the emperors used the games in the colosseum to entertain the masses, even while war and starvation loomed. The politicians lied, cheated and stole from the people while giving out free bread and passes to see men fight to the death. Distractions are just as important to the politicians today, and the methods haven’t really changed all that much. Are EBT and Tik Tok any different? Food, and distractions, in exchange for the keys to the kingdom.
According to our out-going President, we must be wary of a growing oligarchy forming in the arena of American politics. I’m wondering how he missed the fact that it’s been that way long before he was born. In the past two hundred years you could always follow the big money as it flowed into politics. Groups of rich people have always manipulated the machinery of government. From the beginning of our nation, it was big landowners and merchants who influenced the government. The Industrial Revolution brought railroad and manufacturing tycoons to Washington to help “lobby” politicians to bend to their will. The Military-Industrial Complex has been directing the arms of Congress since the end of World War Two. Fun fact: over half of congress are millionaires. Let’s not forget that you’ve been a politician and elected official since you were twenty-nine and have a net worth of over ten million dollars. The warning about oligarchy came a couple of centuries too late, Joe. Thanks.
We can pull our heads out of the sand and find people to govern us that won’t be dictators or dunces, or we can distract ourselves with things like Tik Tok and let Rome burn behind us like one of my favorite “leaving work like” memes. It’s our choice. Republican, Democrat, Independent, liberal, moderate or conservative is a lot less important than honest, transparent and responsible government that does it’s best to uphold our constitutional rights and provide for the general welfare of its people. If we can’t find those people among us, then God help us. At least we still have Tik Toks to watch.
God bless Y’all.
Rolling Stones 